Wander Samuel Franco Aybar[1] (born March 1, 2001), nicknamed "El Patron", is a Dominican professional baseballshortstop for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021 and was an All-Star in 2023. Since August 13, 2023, Franco has been placed on administrative leave due to an investigation about allegations of relationships with underage girls in the Dominican Republic.
In 2024, Franco was charged with sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of a minor in the Dominican Republic.[2]
Professional career
Minor leagues
Franco was ranked as one of the top international prospects in the 2017 international class.[3] He signed with the Tampa Bay Rays organization on July 2, 2017, for a signing bonus of $3.85 million.[4][5] Franco made his professional debut in 2018 with the Princeton Rays. On July 14, 2018, Franco hit for the cycle while playing for Princeton.[6] In 2018, at 17 years old, Franco was named the 2018 Appalachian League Player of the Year after hitting .374/.445/.636 with 11 home runs and 57 runs batted in (RBIs) over 245 plate appearances for the Princeton Rays.[7][8]
Prior to the 2020 season, Franco was ranked the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball. On September 22, the Rays added Franco to their pool of players who would be eligible to play in the Major League Baseball postseason. Franco did not appear in an MLB game, and did not play in any minor league contests due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[14] Instead, he played in the Dominican Winter League in the 2020-21 offseason with Leones del Escogido, batting .350/.435/.500 in 23 at-bats.
The Rays invited Franco to major league spring training in 2021,[15] but he did not make the team, and began the season in Triple-A with the Durham Bulls.[16] In 39 games with Durham, Franco logged a .315/.367/.586 slash line with seven home runs and 35 RBIs.[17]
Tampa Bay Rays
2021 season
On June 20, 2021, the Rays announced that Franco would be promoted to the major leagues, prior to the team’s series against the Boston Red Sox.[18][19] He was formally selected to the 40-man roster on June 22.[20] Franco made his MLB debut the same day.[21] In the game, Franco recorded his first career hit, home run, and RBI on a three-run shot off of Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodríguez in the fifth inning.[22] At 20 years and 113 days old, Franco was the second-youngest player (after B. J. Upton) to debut for the Rays franchise.[23]
Franco during the 2021 season
On August 25, Franco reached base safely for the 26th consecutive game, setting a record for the longest run by a player under 21 years old since 1961.[24] On September 7, Franco reached base safely for the 37th consecutive time passing Mickey Mantle’s 36 game on base streak for a player 20-years old or younger.[25] Franco's streak ended at 43 consecutive games on September 30, 2021, leaving him tied with Frank Robinson.[26]
On November 23, 2021, Franco and the Rays agreed to an eleven-year, $182 million contract extension, with a club option of $25 million for a twelfth year. At age 20, Franco became the youngest player in baseball history to sign a contract worth at least $100 million, passing Ronald Acuña Jr.'s eight-year, $100 million contract extension signed in 2019. Franco's deal was the largest for any player with less than one year of major league service.
2022 season
On April 22, 2022, Franco had his first multi home run game against the Boston Red Sox. Franco became the youngest player in Tampa Bay Rays franchise history to have a multi homer game, doing so at age 21 and 52 days old.[27]
On May 31, Franco was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a strained quadriceps.[28] He was activated on June 26.[29] On July 9, Franco was placed on the 10-day injured list.[30] Two days later, it was announced Franco would miss five to eight weeks due to hand surgery.[31][32] On September 9, he was activated off the injured list.[33][34]
2023 season
On July 4, 2023, Franco was selected to his first All-Star game as the roster replacement for Aaron Judge, who was injured.[35]
Franco was placed on the Rays' restricted list on August 13, as MLB and a specialized Minor and Gender Violence Division based in Peravia began investigations into an alleged relationship with a minor. Franco was then placed on indefinite administrative leave by Major League Baseball. The league stated the administrative leave "is not disciplinary under the Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy" according to MLB.[36]
Franco was reinstated to the 40-man roster by the Rays following the conclusion of the 2023 season, as administrative leave is only available in-season.[37] He returned to the restricted list at the start of the 2024 season.[38]
Franco is the son of Wander Franco and Nancy Aybar, both from Baní, Dominican Republic. His father played minor league ball in the 1990s. His mother is the sister of Erick Aybar and Willy Aybar, both of whom played in Major League Baseball. His brothers, Wander Alexander Franco and Wander Javier Franco, played in the Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants organizations.[40][41]
Franco married his girlfriend after the 2021 MLB season. The pair have a son, Wander Samuel Franco Jr., born in late 2018, and have another son, born in 2022.[40][42]
On July 9, 2024, Franco was charged in the Dominican Republic with sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of a minor,[2] and human trafficking.[43] On November 10, while awaiting trial, Franco was arrested again in San Juan de la Maguana after an altercation in which guns were drawn.[44][45]
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